The Chicago Teachers Union is poised to strike Thursday over pay and other demands, following a wave of teacher strikes that have brought raises and other benefits in recent years.þþChicago Public Schools is offering a 16% raise over five years. But talks are stalling in part over things that typically lie outside the scope of a school contract, such as increased help for homeless students, housing assistance for staffers and sanctuary protections for immigrant students.þþA strike would likely send the nation’s third-largest school district scrambling to keep buildings open, potentially affecting about 300,000 students.þþSchool officials said that in the case of a strike, campuses would stay open, overseen by staff, to give students a safe place and meals. Regular classroom instruction would stop, but students would be engaged with activities, they said. After-school activities, including sports and tutoring, would be canceled.þþChicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Janice K. Jackson, Chicago Public Schools chief executive officer, said progress is being made in some areas, though not all. “We remain committed to getting a deal done, as our teachers, students and families deserve no less,” they said in a joint statement Monday. þþThe union has emphasized social issues during talks, saying nearly 17,000 Chicago public students struggle with homelessness and that some professional educational staffers are unable to afford escalating housing costs. It wants the city to increase funding for affordable housing and for homeless liaisons to be provided in schools.þþThe union also wants smaller class sizes and the district to hire more counselors, nurses, social workers and other support staffers. The district has said it plans to add more positions.þþUnion President Jesse Sharkey said at a news conference Tuesday night that negotiations aren’t going well enough to recommend calling off the strike. He said talks will continue Wednesday but parents should prepare for “a short-term strike,” adding that he doesn’t know how long it could last.þþ“This is not something we do lightly,” Mr. Sharkey said. “We expect real substantive changes in the schools, and that’s what we’re fighting for.”þþIf the strike happens, school buses won’t run but students can attend the closest school as well as programs at parks, libraries and other community sites, school officials said.þþIn the last contract showdown, in 2016, a strike was averted in a last-minute deal. A 2012 strike over contract disagreements lasted seven days.þþMs. Lightfoot said in an Oct. 8 statement that while affordable housing is a critical issue, the contract with the union is “not the appropriate place for the city to legislate its affordable housing policy.”þþJeanne Allen, chief executive officer of the Center for Education Reform, a school-choice advocacy group, criticized the move by the Chicago union to strike instead of educating students.þþ“You should not be striking and leaving these kids more behind than they are now,” Ms. Allen said.þþBut those who study strike activity say the teachers in Chicago, as in other recent teacher strikes, seem to have the leverage.þþ“You’ve got teachers who are mobilizing and they’re winning these conflicts and that’s giving them a sense of momentum,” said Jon Shelton, associate professor of democracy and justice studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.þþIn the last couple of years, thousands of teachers in at least 10 states and dozens of school districts have struck, mostly over salaries and education funding—but with some adding demands outside of the classroom.þþRandi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers union, said teachers are taking up social issues to address inequities along with demands for better pay.þþ“Teachers are really the first responders to all of the social challenges of America, and they see that you can’t instruct kids that are hungry and who have lots of trauma in their lives,” she said. “People get the wrong impression if they think it’s just pay. It’s not just pay.”
Source: Wall Street Journal
